[AlaskaRC] The Field

[Marty Hall]

But as soon that bridge is built you guys will have a 15 minute drive 
to the flying site...... ;-)



At 17:32 5/10/2009, you wrote:
>On Mon, 11 May 2009 10:23:21 +1200
>"Ira Hemphill" <twohedwlf at xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>
> > If you'll forgive an outsider for asking a few questions about things
> > I'm curious about that I'm not clear on.  I was discussing what I've
> > been reading with a member of our club's council on Sunday, yesterday.
> >
> > That field looks like it's an hour and a half or two hour drive
> > outside of Anchorage?  Am I correct in assuming that most members
> > would live in the Anchorage, Eagle River area?
>
>You are correct Ira, driving out to this new field is basically an all
>day affair for the majority of the club membership.  It's an irony of
>living in Alaska that although the state is positively VAST, very little
>of the land is suitable for R/C use due to ownership, regulation
>(particularly sound ordinances in the Mat-Su valley just north of
>Anchorage), or a combination of topology or vegetation.  Land in and
>around Anchorage has gotten valuable enough recently that it became
>economically viable to fill in a 200 foot deep gravel pit and build
>houses on it.
>
> > Is the strip at Elmendorf currently the only permanent field?  Back
> > when I visited what must have been a fun fly there 20 years it seemed
> > like a great field to me.  I should have gotten into it back then
> > isntead of waiting another 15 years and doing it in another country.
>
>Currently Elmendorf is our only permanent field, it's paved and quite
>nice for what it is.  However, the field and flying rules have changed
>quite a bit since you saw it 20 years ago.  The field is on an active
>military base and back then the general public could drop by the field
>simply by telling the gate sentries where they were headed.  Sadly that's
>no longer the case and the general public is basically prohibited from
>visiting the field.  The field is also basically right off the end of an
>active runway, so there is a 300 foot altitude restriction at the field.
>20 years ago when most folks were flying .40 or .60 size planes, that
>was less of an issue than it is today with 50 CC and up IMAC planes
>gaining popularity.
>
>The recent sound ordinance issues out in the Mat-Su valley have taught
>the R/C community up here a hard political lesson.  In order to gain
>flying fields, we need broad community support.  In order to gain broad
>community support we need to be visible as a positive and beneficial
>group within the community.  Unfortunately it's hard for us to be
>visible to the general public when sequestered away at the Elmendorf
>field - so it's kind of a chicken and the egg problem.  We've made good
>progress with the Parks and Recreation department, and they are willing
>to give us a letter of support as we approach other entities in the
>Anchorage and Eagle River areas requesting to use their facilities for
>R/C activities.
>
>Sorry for the long winded explanation, the upshot is my current first
>priority is getting the new field squared away from an insurance
>standpoint so people can fly there - spring is here and people are ready
>to break out the planes.  My second priority is getting the club website
>back to a functional state.  My third priority is pursuing a publicly
>accessible flying site closer in to Anchorage with as few restrictions
>as possible.
>
> > Here we have a field that has been leased continuously to our club
> > since 1937, that's only 10 minutes drive from me.  Another about 45
> > minute drive that's even better belongs to another club.
>
>Count yourself as fortunate!  Not only for having nearby fields, but
>also for living in a beautiful country with filled with friendly people
>:)  We took a wonderful two week tour through NZ in a rented camper van
>when my oldest daughter was around 2 years old.
>
>--
>Tom
>
>_____________________________________________________________________
>
>        |  ,  |               Tom Simes - President
>---------(@)---------        Alaska Radio Control Society
>         --|--                AMA Chartered Club #1998
>           '                  president at alaskarc.org
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>AlaskaRC at lists.alaskarc.org
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Marty Hall
Fairbanks, Alaska
mjhall at alaskarcs.com

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